Rural tourism and community empowerment

1. RURAL TOURISM
AND
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
By
Aswathi. P

2. INTRODUCTION
The rural tourism serves to get away from hectic and stressful life in the big
city where you can enjoy a vacation.
Provides peace, relaxation and absolute rest what is the traffic, noise and
pollution.
This tourism diversifies the economy and regional
employment
Promote community pride.
Improve the quality of life.
Ensure environmental sustainability.

3. TOURISM
UNWTO defined-
Tourism comprises the activities of
persons travelling to and staying in places outside their
usual environment for not more than one consecutive
year for leisure, business and other purposes.

4. RURAL TOURISM
 Rural tourism a form of tourism taking place in rural
areas or settlements, providing employment and
income to local population, and offering
individualized holiday products to consumers.
 Rural tourism is based on accommodation service
which is complemented by additional
services/facilities relying on the local social, cultural
and natural resources, which are exploited according
to the principles of sustainable development.

5. The basic components of rural tourism are:
• It is done in rural areas, meaning the environment
consisting of natural landscapes, mainly agricultural in
nature.
 Accommodation in rural housing in apartments or small
hotels.
 Power based on traditional local cuisine.
 Complementary activities of leisure and recreation
activities in the place of accommodation, enhancing the
knowledge of the local culture and traditional lifestyles,
crafts etc.

6.  An integrated offering consisting of different leisure items
such as accommodation, catering, activities, crafts and
local produce.
 A motivation based on contact with the environment,
where tourists seeking nature, traditional architecture,
gastronomy, traditions, folk customs, etc.
 Interaction with local society, thus requiring
communication and participation of the local community.
 Rural tourism is considered as an important strategy for
contributing to the entrenchment of the population, job
creation, and ultimately, to the promotion of socio-
economic development of disadvantaged areas.

7. COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
 "Communities" are groups of people that may or may not be
spatially connected, but who share common interests,
concerns or identities.
 Community empowerment refers to the process of enabling
communities to increase control over their lives.
 It is the process by which they increase their assets and
attributes and build capacities to gain access, partners,
networks and/or a voice, in order to gain control.
 Community empowerment, therefore, is more than the
involvement, participation or engagement of communities. It
implies community ownership and action that explicitly aims
at social and political change

8. RURAL TOURISM AND COMMUNITY
EMPOWERMENT
 Recognize, support and promote community ownership of
tourism.
 Involve community members from the start in every aspect.
 Promote community pride.
 Improve the quality of life.
 Ensure environmental sustainability.

9.  Preserve the unique character and culture of the local
area.
 Foster cross-cultural learning.
 Respect cultural differences and human dignity.
 Distribute benefits fairly among community members.
 Contribute a fixed percentage of income to community
projects.

10. • Supporting the protection of natural and cultural areas
by generating economic benefits from it.
• Providing alternative income and employment for
local communities.
• Increasing local and visitor awareness of conservation.
•Respect and preserve all the characteristics of the
environment, help residents reclaim historical practices,
revitalize productive activities, highlight the ethnic
background of the population, and highlight the unique
aspects of the locality, such as topography, climate,
architecture, cuisine and handicrafts.

11.  Highlight local cultural practices so that communities
share their cultures and traditions with tourists with
authenticity.
 Both visitor and community cultures will always be
treated with appreciation and respect.
 Sustainable Economic Development: Stimulate the
local economy by generating income through the
sustainable use of natural resources. All plans seek to
ensure that the local population has an equitable share
in benefits.

12. CONCLUSION
In short, the main benefits of
rural tourism in rural areas are
creating jobs, diversifying the
local economy, power
consumption of local products,
leverages existing facilities,
improving the quality of life,
preserves and maintains intone
cultural traditions etc.

13. Thank you.................